Case Number 08296

MA MERE

The Charge

Intellectual sex, or simple depravity? You decide.

Opening Statement

Reviled by just about everybody upon its release, I found a lot to
admire in Christophe Honoré's controversial film, which is essentially
2005's equivalent to Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers. The two films
actually have a lot in common: not only does Louis Garrel star in both films,
but there's a similar preoccupation with incestuous relationships and subversive
sexual behavior, and perhaps most importantly, both films received the
kiss-of-death NC-17 rating by the MCAA upon its release in American movie
theaters.

Facts of the Case

Ma Mére is the story of a beautiful woman and self-described
"bitch" (Isabelle Huppert, I Heart Huckabees) who introduces
her teenage son (Louis Garrel) to a lifestyle of destructive sexual behavior
(ranging from exhibitionist sex to S&M) that threatens to shatter both of
their lives.

The Evidence

Yes, there's lots and lots of nudity in Ma Mére featuring both
sexes, and just as much sex -- some of it arousing, most of it deeply
disturbing. For a number of viewers, I imagine that these elements are the
film's main selling points. But really, there's a lot of other things going on
behind Ma Mére's sexually charged surface.

Based on an unfinished novella of the same name by French novelist and
philosopher Georges Bataille, his apparent preoccupation with how the forces of
sex, death and the obscene manipulate the individual certainly show up over the
course of this film. It's certainly a revolting film on many levels, but it
manages to be provocative at the same time -- always asking the viewer to
consider what is going on psychologically with these characters, and at what
point the line between appropriate and inappropriate sexual behavior is blurred
beyond recognition. There's also a constant, underlying examination of the ties
between sex and religion -- Garrel's character seems to be attempting to find
the connection between his religious devotion and his sexual behavior, which is
subtly eluded to with the title (the blurring of the roles of earthly and the
heavenly mother), among other things. The ethereal strains of Barber's Adiago
for Strings further highlights the odd religious dynamics at work in this
film.

There's probably no other actress working right now who could have pulled
off the role of Héléne, la mére of the title, besides
Isabelle Huppert (though I can't help but think how interesting it would have
been to see Catherine Deneuve return to Belle de Jour territory after all
these years). Probably the most interesting actress (along with Charlotte
Rampling) currently working on an international level, this is certainly one the
most out-there roles in a filmography filled with out-there performances. In the
hands of another actress, Héléne would have been a rather irredeemable
character, but Huppert brings the role an underlying intensity and intelligence
so that it's basically impossible not be fascinated rather than disgusted with
her character. And this is the second major role in a row where Louis Garrell is
required to get naked -- a lot. I can't help but be fascinated by his
performances in both The Dreamers and this film, because on one hand he's
such an intensely physical actor, but at the same time there's an undeniable
high level of intelligence involved in his acting. I've read an article in which
he is likened to a young Jean-Pierre Léaud (The 400 Blows), and I
think it's an apt comparison. It'll be interesting to see what he does in the
future.

But the revelatory performance comes from Emma de Caunes, an exquisite young
actress I had never heard of before. Functioning as the sole character who is
both involved with the general debauchery while always seeming to observe it as
an outsider, she manages to seem sweet while conveying the dark side of the
character at the same time. The only means of redemption for Garrel's character
through the offer of true love, she does wonders with what could have been a
very flat role -- it's a positively luminous performance. She will be appearing
in Michel Gondry's next film The Science of Sleep -- and I hope she has a
major role.

If anything, the technical elements of this film are worth note. Shot on
location on the Canary Islands, it's a film full of warm sunshine, crystal blue
water and golden skin (which serves as an interesting counterpoint to the dark
content of the film), and the use of sand dunes is reminiscent of Michelangelo
Antonioni in The Passanger mode. The editing and camera work is also
top-notch, resulting in a visually ravishing film.

Ma Mére is being released in the United States by TLA Releasing,
and it's overall a very nice package. The 1:85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture
at times has a grainy look to it, especially during scenes shot at night. But
overall, it's an attractive picture. The Dolby Digital 2.0 surround audio track
is likewise serviceable; optional English subtitles are included.

The several extras included on this disc are quality ones: a five minute
alternate ending (with footage incorporated into other parts of the finished
film), a deleted scene and a theatrical trailer. But the most valuable features
are interviews with director Christophe Honoré and star Emma de Caunes at
London's Ciné Lumiére. De Caunes sticks mostly to explaining her
approach to her character, but Honoré discusses everything from why he
chose to adapt Bataille's novel to his views on the depiction of sex on film.
It's an informative 15-minute interview, demonstrating that Honoré was
indeed going for much more in his film than simply arousing the audience.

Closing Statement

For all the things that I liked about the film, it's still a failure somehow.
It seems to aspire to be a Claire Denis film -- to attain that same visceral
depth and vibrancy, that almost physical intensity that saturates her
films (I can hardly begin to imagine the things she would do with this
material). But even though Ma Mére does ultimately fail -- fail to
transcend the titillation factor and become the intellectual film it aspires to
be -- it's never anything less than interesting.

The Verdict

While admitting that this isn't a film for everyone, the court finds it not
guilty.